Thursday, November 17, 2016

Life in the Fast Lane

I'm waiting for the laundry to finish its cycle as I write this. The morning isn't even half done yet and there is already a myriad of chores and hours of copywriting work looming ahead of me on top of being the primary caretaker of my little family. 

I'm strong but I'm tired. Bone tired. Like I've always been every day this year. 

Don't get me wrong. I love where I'm currently at and I wouldn't trade it for anything else in this world.  But there are days when I crave for some peace and quiet. What I wouldn't do for a day of someone else doing all the chores and the work for me. If there's one thing I miss about my pre-husband, pre-baby life, it's lying in bed all afternoon, just reading a book. Now, getting past a book chapter is a colossal challenge. 

So many things have changed in so little time. They're little changes but monumental at the same time. 

I look back at this old blog, see the old posts, read into the thoughts of the old me and realize I'm not the same person anymore. And it's not just about having new responsibilities. It's my tolerance for things, my priorities, my dreams, they're all different now. 

"Old days aren't better because they're younger days". I realize that now. I used to think the best days are the younger days. But despite the fact that my back is almost always aching and I'm almost always stressing over deadlines, I still think these are the best days of my life. 

There are at least a dozen things that I need to do right now, I shouldn't be blogging, really, but I'm grateful for this little bit of reprieve. Blogging is therapy. lol. 

And I also feel like sharing these photos, which we took last saturday. I'm wearing the latest dress I made from a fabric with adorable fireflies all over it. 

Some things never change. I still love midi dresses. I still love the fit and flare silhouette. And I still love whimsical prints. 

I'm probably also going to make some changes with this blog. I'll talk about my newfound love for sewing, the crafts I've been making, all the baby dresses and rompers that I've been slaving over and just pretty much anything that involves my life. 

One of the things that make me happy is learning sewing. I've always wanted to do that. It took having a baby to finally take the plunge, buy a good sewing machine and start making stuff. I wonder why I didn't do it sooner. It's a lesson I'll have to remember from hereon out. 

I hear the washing machine beeping. I'll go back to my laundry feeling less tired because of this here tiny reprieve. 

Sunday, July 24, 2016

I'm Back + Baby Update

I'm back! I don't know if anyone has noticed but it's been months since my last update. I've actually been waiting until I lost weight before getting back into blogging but I realized if I'll continue to wait until I'm 10 lbs lighter to actually love my body enough to blog outfits again, I'll be waiting for a long time. So i decided to just love myself now, weight gain and all.

It's interesting to note how much I've changed since starting this blog. Now, I'm a wife and a mother to a 7-month-old. Life has been pretty hectic lately as you might have guessed, what with taking care of two needy individuals (including my husband in this hahaha) and taking on some new endeavors.

I've recently taken up sewing. I've been sewing skirts and separates before but I have recently taken my skills to the next level and been creating 50s-style vintage dresses and baby rompers. My gingham dress here and Olivia's romper are both hand-made by me. Sewing has become my opium. haha! I bought a rather cheap sewing machine though but I'm planning to upgrade to a better one pretty soon. I've also discovered fabric stores on Instagram and I have been hoarding fabrics since. I'm not even kidding about the hoarding part. I see something I fancy and I buy even though I just bought a lot a few days before that. It's becoming an addiction. I need to be rehabilitated.

Baby is turning 8 months in a few weeks. Where did time go? It seems like yesterday when I'm sharing the news about her birth and now she's pushing 1 year old.

So how are you guys? What did I miss?

Sunday, April 24, 2016

Olivia Heloise's DIY Sheep/Lamb-Themed Baptism

I DIY-ed Olivia's Lamb/Sheep-themed Christening party in just three weeks - all while working a 10-hour flexible day job, taking care of household chores and attending to my baby and husband's needs. Man, I've never felt more exhausted in my life. Of course i had a lot of help from my creative sister, husband and cousins. We've made enough lamb cut-outs to last us a lifetime. 

I had this idea of a lamb/sheep-themed christening party when Via was born but we weren't originally planning to do it this soon. We figured it's better if she's baptized sooner rather than later.

I love how everything turned out! It was exhausting but seeing everything put together was worth it. So glad i went the extra mile to make her Christening day extra special.

Coincidentally, it was also Myk and I's 10th anniversary as a couple. We chose April 9 for Via's baptism so we have more to celebrate on that day.

Via's reception romper is from my favorite shop, BubbaandKokok and her shoes are from Saka Moccs. 

Photography by Esteban Balendres Laina

Saturday, February 20, 2016

Stay If You Want

Perhaps one of my worst traits is that I am highly intolerant to a lot of things (dairy not being one of them, thankfully). I didn't actually come to that realization until after I had my first job as an adult. I was in my early 20s that time. I remember being suffused with the need get out, as if my reality back then was a prison of my own making. I remember waking up, dressing up and battling the entire day with my heart at the pit of my stomach. I remember feeling stifled and lifeless, like an automaton going through the motions.  It wasn't long before I mustered up the courage to hand over my resignation, pack my things up and go home. 

A lot of people think quitting is the easiest route. It's not. In my case, it takes sheer guts and determination to admit you're not cut out for something. 

So many things have changed since then but I'm still the same intolerant person as that real world novice who cried a lot. The only difference now is that I'm old enough to embrace the decisions I'm making. If there is something I don't want in my life and is not doing anything for my personal growth, I purge it, no matter how unpopular the act is. 

I'm actually thankful I have this stubborn streak in me that refuses to settle, to be tolerant just for the sake of saving face. At least I don't go around in a state of misery.

I guess what I'm trying to say is, don't let society's expectations of you dictate how you're going to carve out your life, unless you want everyone else to be happy but yourself. Don't settle for the sake of settling. Live your life, in your own pace, with your own decisions. And if there are people in your life, no matter how long they have been in it, who are undervaluing your worth, don't be afraid to cut ties. You are in charge of what you deserve. 

PS: Have you noticed the golf theme in this outfit? 

Tuesday, February 9, 2016

Take All My Money!

Dress: thrifted | Bag: Liz Clairborne | Shoes: Tutum

I spend so much money in February. Why? Because there's a month-long flea market that usually happens this time of the year as a part of my city's feast day celebration. So whenever I go out, there's just no way I can walk past the used clothing stalls and not stop and rummage. 

But that's okay because this is also that time of the year when I find a lot of vintage dresses for very cheap. Just yesterday, I managed to find a stall selling dresses for only a little over a dollar. I went a little crazy and went home with large plastic bags full of thrifted garments. This year, my haul is even bigger because I now have Olivia to dress up. Haha! 

People often ask me where I get my stuff and they'd be surprised when I tell them I thrift my clothes. It's not at all difficult for me to find the things I'm looking for because I have no competition. No one my age ransacks the vintage clothing rack and nobody seems to share my penchant for tea-length skirts. And because of that, I have a lot of untapped resources. 

A lot of people look at vintage and used clothing with disgust but not me. I find these clothes teeming with character. In fact, i find new clothes offensive. Most of the ones sold at our department stores here are made from chiffon (which i loathe with a passion) or some cheap fabric that wrinkles easily and tries so hard to be "current". And everyone shops there already so there's a huge chance you'll bump into someone wearing the exact same thing. So no, thank you. I'd take my dingy, moth-eaten vintage finds any day. 

My only problem now is closet space. I'm toying with the idea of selling some of my stuff online but with everything going on in my life right now, I'm not so sure I can keep up. 

Thursday, February 4, 2016

Through the Blur

turtleneck top, dress, beret: thrifted | shoes: Something Borrowed 

If your level of busyness is indicative of how successful you are, then I am CEO levels of successful. Man, my life is full of this and that. People seem to think that just because I work from home, I have it going easy. But no. I earn my own keep and take care of my family at the same time and it's taking a toll on me - physically, at least. It has come to a point that on my birthday, I wished for 10 hours of uninterrupted sleep instead of new things (I might have wished for extra pairs of limbs too but I'll bite my tongue). 

But with the lows come the highs. I'm all about balance, you see. I took some time off last Monday to buy food for Olivia's 2nd month celebration and sneaked this outfit shoot. I wore this only for a little less than three hours! ha! But it's a good feeling, although I've been swamped with guilt the entire time. Has any of you moms ever felt like you don't have a right to be out and about when your baby is left at home (with a sitter, of course!)? Or is that just me? Haha!


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